Uko Akapanuko, Daily Herald
Prince Albert’s first youth jazz band has been up and running for a few months now, and the student musicians had a chance to put their progress on display Tuesday night.
The new band hosted an Open House at Vincent Massey School band room which included a celebratory performance after months of preparation.
“The kids have been working hard since September and I really wanted their parents and their family members to see what we have been doing, and what we have been working on,” Prince Albert Youth Jazz Band founder Scott Roos said. “We don’t quite have our set to where we want it to be … but it’s close.”
The band is made up of 18 students from the Saskatchewan Rivers and Prince Albert Catholic school divisions. They perform in sections such as jazz, jazz ballet, rhythm etc.
Roos said it’s been fun to watch the students improve.
“It’s been astounding just watching it,” he said. “There’s some things where this band truly surprises me. The jazz ballad … the amount of balance and control and they’re ability to … get that whole fullness of sound, that’s really what we’ve been working on.”
The kids in the band are all school students and have been training and preparing for the open house.
“To hear all these guys who are really truly committed and they just want to give it a 110 (per cent) and they are doing this over and above what they do in their school program getting such a full sound is amazing,” Roos said.
Roos added that it’s too early to announce performance dates for 2025, since most are still in the planning stages, but he confirmed the band will perform at local music festivals and try to collaborate with groups outside of Prince Albert.
“There are a lot of things that we’re looking at and working on that we can’t divulge,” Roos said. “At the end of the day, the jazz scene in PA, we’re trying to get it to make a comeback. We’re bringing back jazz bands and the jazz sound and we’re getting the jazz culture back again and we’re seeing where that takes us.”
The band started with eight musicians, but have doubled their numbers. Roos said many parents have contacted him to see if their child can join, so he expects even more students going forward.
“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” Roos said. “We want the kids to play and have the experience performing in a jazz ensemble setting.”
–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald
